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Shiurim & Adult Education
THOUGHTS ON MIKETZ BY RABBI WILKINSON
The parashah opens with the words, “Va’yehi mi’keitz shenasayim yamim u’Pharaoh cholem—And it came to pass at the end of two years that Pharaoh was dreaming.” Reb Mordechai Yosef Leiner, the Izhbitzer Rebbe, zy”a, writes that the phrase “shenasayim yamim, two years of days,” hints to the two days of Creation on which the pleasures of this world were created:
On day three, food and drink were created.
On day six, Man was created.
Man was placed as the head of all of creation and given powerful faculties such as intellectual capabilities and the ability to speak, placing him above all other beings. Although there is much potential for actualizing good with such faculties, unfortunately, these faculties can also lead man down a path of self-glorification and selfish behaviour, giving rise to an increased desire for honour and an elevated feeling of pride. The desires for physical gratification and honour are two of the most potentially detrimental aspects of one’s avodat Hashem.
The Rebbe continues to say that when one cleanses oneself of these two negative desires, one will merit a tremendous spiritual salvation. The Izhbitzer reads the pesukim above as follows: “Va’yehi mi’keitz shenasayim yamim—When there will be an end to [those things created during] those two days [of Creation], then immediate salvation will come.” This idea sheds some light as to why the first midrash on this week’s parashah expounds the pasuk as, “K’sheyavo keitz la’choshech—When there will be an end to the darkness,” referring to the spiritual darkness that these two negative desires bring upon a person.
The Rabbis suggest that Chanukah is when the final judgment from Yom Kippur is sealed. Because of this, certain Chassidim have the custom of reciting L’Dovid Hashem Ori until Chanukah. Chanukah, similar to Yom Kippur, is about realizing that regardless of the sins of our past, we remain Hashem’s children, and we always have the ability to return to him, even from the darkest of places. The light of Chanukah is so great and sublime that it can purify us of all the filth and dirt that cover us due to our negative actions, just like the day of Yom Kippur. However, in order to allow the light of Chanukah to truly have an effect on us, to really penetrate the depths of our souls and to help us grow to be the incredible people we all have the potential to be, we have to desire it. We must show Hashem that we really want to be better, that we really want to change. We must stress that no matter how many times we may fall, we’re going to get back up, brush ourselves off, and keep moving forward.
The light of Chanukah opens our eyes so we can see the deceptive vanities of this world; to see through all of the temporary pleasures it has to offer and to realize that they only leave us feeling empty and searching for more. Chanukah shows us that even from within the darkest times in our lives, Hashem is there with us, waiting for us to allow our souls to soar to the highest of heights.
Shabbos Chanukah is one of the holiest times of the year. Not only do we merit the incredible light of Chanukah, but we experience the light of Shabbos as well. We should use this incredibly auspicious time to reflect on ourselves: who we are and what our priorities should be. It is a time to plug ourselves in and connect to something deeper. To connect to ourselves and to Hashem and to use that pach shemen, the small container of oil, that small, untainted part of each and every one of us, to kindle a spiritual flame within our souls which, with the help of Hashem, will only burn brighter and brighter.
I would like to mention one other short idea…over Chanukah we play dreidel. Yes, a nice fun game but with deeper messages: The dreidel spins around and around, moving so quickly, but it makes no difference how long it spins and how fast it goes; what makes a difference is where it lands, and the force of the spin doesn’t impact that. This is the way of the world too, people turning and turning, moving this way and that, but only Hashem decides where we will land, and what the final result will be. The process might look like it can affect the outcome, but it doesn’t.
We do our part, and then Hashem does His.
Wishing you Chanukah sameach, Shabbat shalom and Chodesh tov.
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